In this news alert:

Morocco, Brazil and Chile have all recently signed the Apostille Convention, which eliminates the need for consular legalisation of public documents.
The Apostille Convention will enter into force for Morocco and Brazil on 14 August 2016, and for Chile on 30 August 2016.

What is the Apostille Convention?

The Apostille Convention (also known as the Apostille Treaty, or the Hague Convention Abolishing the requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents) was signed on 5 October 1961. It has since been signed by 112 countries.

The Convention specifies how a public document issued in one of the signatory countries can be certified by a competent authority of that country for use in any other of the signatory countries without the need for consular legalisation (certification by the Foreign Ministry of the country where the document is to be used).

Action Items

Expect faster preparation of Moroccan, Brazilian and Chilean documents, and documents for use in Morocco, Brazil and Chile, once the Convention comes into force in August.